Player Profile: Matt Davidson

Both squads will be out in full swing as the World Championships close in. The Men’s squad will come up against South Africa, New Zealand and Spain, whilst the Women are set to face New Zealand, France and Japan.

“We’re really looking forward to Vancouver, I think we have a really good chance of going pretty well in this tournament,” Matt said. “We’ve played all the teams enough times now that we know what to expect and how to take them on. Our performances are just getting better and better from the first tournament, there’s a real belief in the group to push for the semi-finals. Once we get there it’s knockout rugby so who knows from there but we have a real belief.

“We have a really good squad with some fantastic rugby players, so once we get there it’ll be about trying to flip that pressure, so instead of being scared of it and worry about what could come next, we talk about winning tournaments, because once we perform well in one tournament then it takes the pressure off the next two.

“The work-ons from the last tournament were different from the first couple. After Dubai and Cape Town, we maybe had a bit of a lack of knowledge about where we were trying to get to as a group. Whereas we liked the way we started to attack and defend In Singapore and Perth so it’s now about trying to double down on those. The clarity there has become a lot more streamlined so we’re all just very excited.”

With the 7s programme emerging as a brilliant opportunity for young players to hone their skills, Matt shared his experiences of the format and how it’s helped him grow.

“7s has been huge for development. Even before I came in, the number of guys that have played 7s then gone on to play for the national team is huge. With the nature of only having two pro teams, the next level of rugby for youngsters is the Premiership which for some might not be the best pathway. Getting them involved in 7s and getting a few touches on the ball could be massive for some young players, it’s also the most exposed you’ll ever be defensively! It really can be quite tough, 7s itself is pretty physically and mentally demanding, so you end up growing up pretty quickly when you’re involved in something like this.”

Matt’s experience will no doubt be on show across this weekend, as the World Championships in Hong Kong approach. you’ll be able to catch him and all of team GB live from Vancouver on RugbyPass.